Kylian Mbappe sought to supplement his income of €55 million over five years at Paris Saint-Germain with a range of clauses that, according to Der Spiegel, alter his image as a humble banlieue boy from the outskirts of the French capital.
The German publication, with assistance from the European Investigations Collaboration and an international network of journalists, released more findings from Football Leaks documents Wednesday. The whistleblower platform is responsible for recent revelations about plans for a European "Super League" and Financial Fair Play law-bending from PSG and Manchester City.
Now, these latest findings from Football Leaks cast a new light on Mbappe's almost-angelic reputation. The 19-year-old is a player for whom "enough never seems to be enough, a young man who hasn't been down to earth for some time now," as described by Der Spiegel.
In August 2017, then-AS Monaco phenom Mbappe met with PSG sporting director Antero Henrique to discuss what would become the second-most expensive transfer of all time at €180 million, following a season-long loan. A salary of €50 million spread over a five-year contract with a €5-million signing-on bonus was agreed, but Mbappe, who's not represented by an agent, reportedly took great interest in the small print.
Two requests were rejected by Les Parisiens. Perhaps the most newsworthy was that he sought assurances that he'd become the club's highest-earning player if he were to win the Ballon d'Or, therefore trumping the pay packet of Neymar. Mbappe's Brazilian teammate holds the record for being the world's most expensive player following his 2017 shift from Barcelona for €222 million.
The other spurned proposal was his requested use of a private jet for 50 hours a year.
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Paris Saint-Germain included a stipulation in Mbappe's contract that sees the club stump up €30,000 a month for the teenager's personal staff, which includes a caretaker, a driver, and a bodyguard.
The French striker's pleas didn't stop there. The arrivals of Neymar and Mbappe exacerbated concerns that PSG would fall foul of UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules, and therefore risked receiving heavy punishment from football's big wigs. Mbappe's family wanted to further safeguard the youngster's future with monetary compensation if Paris Saint-Germain were banned from the Champions League - the toughest penalty dished out by UEFA for such financial violations.
There was also a request for Mbappe's father Wilfrid to be able to attend PSG training when he liked, and to oversee additional sessions with his son while using the Ligue 1 giant's facilities.
There are more parties who apparently benefited financially from Mbappe's €180-million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. Football Leaks understands Monaco owner Dmitry Rybolovlev, who's currently facing multiple charges including corruption and money laundering, will personally receive €124 million as part of the deal. Also, Jorge Mendes, the super agent who negotiates for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho, pocketed at least €7.25 million. Der Spiegel speculates that he earned the payment for playing up speculation that Mbappe will join Real Madrid, therefore driving up the lavishly paid marksman's asking price.
It's understood that an approach from Real Madrid for €180 million in the summer of 2017 eventually set the wheels in motion for Mbappe's transfer from Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain for the same fee. When Mbappe's father apparently expressed reservations over his son breaking into Los Blanco's first-team fold - Cristiano Ronaldo still reigned supreme at the Bernabeu, with Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, and plenty more attacking talent as his supporting cast - it effectively ended the switch to Real Madrid.
